Written by

Think back to North Carolina's interior pummeling of Michigan State in a 79-65 win at the Breslin Center on Dec. 4, with 44 points in the paint to MSU's 28 and a 49-38 edge in rebounding.

Consider that MSU sophomore center Matt Costello, who is out indefinitely with mononucleosis, is the Spartans' best interior defensive presence and had his best game of the season that night. Then look at these numbers from Texas' 86-83 win at North Carolina on Wednesday - 40 points in the paint for the Longhorns and 16 for the Tar Heels, with a 51-42 rebounding advantage for Texas.